Thursday, 5 March 2015

THE NEXT STAGE IN MY WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY - SKINCARE

It does not matter how much weight you have lost. Extra weight and pregnancy leave their sign on your skin. The critical body parts usually the tummy and thighs, but it is really varies by person. I am sure you know where are your critical parts, where the skin problems appear. This is my secret skincare recipe - it has really worked for me every time when I used it regularly.
Home made firming body oil recipe below.

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know, that last May I launched my mission to get my pre-pregnancy figure back. Now I have reached the point when I have to focus on my skin - and my wardrobe. Which means that I managed to gain back my ideal weight and more or less my ideal curves - all these only focussing on a healthy balanced diet and regular exercises.

So hurray, I can lap my own shoulders with proud. :-)
However this does not mean that I can lay back.

I definitely want to keep up with my healthy habits, like planning meals, being more active and doing my regular workouts... And there is still room for improvements.

Skin care and weight loss

I have so many reason to pay attention to my skin now:

Spring is coming

I can feel spring in my bones - and on my skin. After winter I am really itching to start my detox week. Usually 1st of March is the turning point when I do not wish just to cuddle up on the sofa with a cup hot something, but I want to go out, move and eat fresh salad instead of carb. My detox week is like a spring body cleaning. I do it every year, around end March, it has great impact on my skin. So I can't wait to do it.
Here are my previous post on last year detox week:

Holiday dreams

Yes, there is the holiday planned for summer, when I can see myself posing in my new swimming suit and bikini on the beach. There is no women on the whole world who would not zoom in on this imaginary picture and examine the critical body parts...

So yes, this is the perfect time to start improving the appearance of my thighs and tummy.

Age - over 30

Well, I try to ignore my age most of the time, but my skin betrays this play.

Up until our 30's skin can heal itself easily. However after 30 cell production starts to slow down.

Changes in the connective tissue reduce the skin's strength and elasticity. So reaching 40 this year I have to pay attention my skin. I cannot complain though as I am really lucky with my skin - in the sense that it reacts really well to the right diet. I really try to give the right food to my skin like salmon, avocado, almond and berries - and of course plenty of water.

Weight loss

First weight loss very rarely goes without skin problems.
The more the weight you loose the bigger challenge what your skin have to deal with. It is really depend on your skin type and the amount of weight lost how serious this problem can be.
significant amounts of weight often have excess skin, usually in noticeable areas like breasts, thighs, arms, abdomen.

Also very important to avoid quick weight loss. Losing a large amount of weight fast does not give enough time to your body to acclimate to the change. It is much better to lose weight gradually and slowly. The recommended amount is 1-2 pounds a week (about 1 kg). This is also result a long lasting weight loss instead of yo-yo effect.
Talking about yo-yo effect: this is the worst what can happen to your skin. Losing weight and gaining weight put our skin into a challenge: as soon as it starts shrink and recover it has to stretch again. This can reduce the elasticity of skin rapidly.

But I deeply believe that there is so many things what you can do to alleviate the problem.

#1 Eating the right food
It is matter what we eat, food has a direct effect on our skin - actually it has a bigger impact than any skincare product. In this post I listed the most important foods that help you skin to go back into shape and get it's elasticity back:

Weight training not just help to reach your target weight but it help tighten skin after weight loss. There is no reason to worry about looking very masculine, 1-2 weight training a week just make toned lean muscles. I love the kettle bell trainings recently, they part of my high intensity workouts, and I do not need to worry about looking like a body builder :-)

#3 Water

I know, - in nearly all of my post I make a note about drinking enough water. But I cannot emphasis this enough time, we are just prone to forget about it and it is so important.

Healthy skin = Hydrated skin

It is that simple.

#4 Skincare

Skincare is really important. There are very good and effective products on the market. What is important to your skin is Vitamin E and A.
However after trying many firming products addressed to women on weight loss diet, I found a really simple body oil to be the most effective.My secret weapon is a home made body oil. Easy to mix together the ingredients, a small amount goes for a long time. It is really important to use it regularly, once or twice a day. The best to apply a small amount on the critical body part after bath on wet skin.

Important:Do not use this is you are pregnant, you are on medication or you have any kind of skin allergy. Before first use apply a tiny amount on your skin and wait 24 hours. If you experience skin irritation, do not use the oil. Strictly for external use only! Do not expose skin to direct sunshine after applying the body oil.

Here is the recipe:

Firming body oil

50 ml almond oil

5 drops grapefruit essential oil

3 drops mandarin or orange essential oil

10 drops rosemary essential oil

10 drops geranium essential oil

2 drops peppermint essential oil

Buy 100% pure, organic oils from a reliable source. I use it after bath on my stomach, waist and thighs. If you want to enhance it's effect you can use anti cellulite massage or vacuum massage. Do not worry, you do not need to buy a pricey machine.

Vacuum massage is a really simple technique, all what you need a vacuum cup - like in the video below - or a candle + a small clean glass/jar.
First apply the massage oil onto your skin.
If you use a small jar, just hold it above the candle light (not into the light, just above) upside down to create vacuum inside. Then quickly press it onto your oily skin and start sliding it from your knees upwards.
Probably this is easier with the vacuum cups, but the result is the same. Vacuum boost the circulation in your skin and help it's natural detoxification, and helps it's renewal.

Well, skin care has been sorted, now I can turn my attention to my new wardrobe. I am sure that will not be a problem for me. :-)

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Hello,

My name is Zita Krista.

I am passionate about food but I like challenges too. I believe that it is possible to provide fresh, healthy and delicious meals for the family and not to spend too much time in the kitchen though. Having two little daughters I know the everyday challenges of motherhood. Let me share my experiences with you.